MINUTES SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ALEXANDRIA CITY SCHOOL BOARD September 13, 2018 (6:00 p.m.) ROLL CALL UPON THE ROLL BEING CALLED, THE FOLLOWING WERE PRESENT: BOARD MEMBERS: Ramee A. Gentry Cindy Anderson Ronnie Campbell William E. Campbell Henry E. Cardwell Karen Graf Christopher J. Lewis Margaret Lorber Veronica R. Nolan ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., Jennifer Abbruzzese, Susan Neilson, Ewan Thompson, Bridget Williams, Michael Covington, Dominic Turner, Mignon Anthony, Clinton Page, and Dr. Terri Mozingo Call to Order 1. Meeting Called to Order by Chair Gentry Chair Gentry called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. All members of the School Board were present at the start of the meeting except for Ms. Campbell who arrived during the closed meeting. Closed Meeting and Certification of Closed Meeting 2. Closed Meeting Vice Chair Anderson moved that the Board convene a closed meeting pursuant to VA Code 2.2-3711(A)(1) for the discussion and consideration of employment, performance and contractual matters for five specific employees; pursuant to VA Code 2.2-3711(A)(7) for consultation and briefing concerning actual or probable litigation, where such consultation and briefing in an open meeting would adversely affect the legal posture of the Board; pursuant to VA Code 2.2-3711(A)(29) for the discussion of the award of a contract involving the expenditure of public funds, and discussion of the scope of such a contract, where discussion in open session would adversely affect the bargaining position of the Board; and pursuant to VA Code 2.2-3711(A)(2) for the discussion or consideration of admission or disciplinary matters or any other matters that would involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record concerning any student of any public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth or any state school system. However, any such student, legal counsel and, if the student is a minor, the student's parents or legal guardians shall be permitted to be present during the taking of testimony or presentation of evidence at a closed meeting, if such student, parents, or guardians so request in writing and such request is submitted to the presiding officer of the appropriate board. Mr. Lewis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, 8-0, to convene a closed meeting. The motion carried. The Board moved into a closed meeting at 6:06 p.m. 3. Certification of Closed Meeting 1
Vice Chair Anderson moved that pursuant to VA Code 2.2-3712, that the Board certify that to the best of each member s knowledge, only public business matters identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened, and are lawfully exempted by the Freedom of Information Act, were heard, discussed or considered by the Board in the Closed Meeting held on September 13, 2018. Mr. Lewis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous, 9-0, to certify the closed meeting. The motion carried. The School Board reconvened in open session at 7:40 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Pledge of Allegiance The T.C. Williams High School JROTC Color Guard led the Presentation of the Colors and Pledge of Allegiance. Cadet First Lieutenant Marissa Rivera spoke about the JROTC program, annual events and their program s recent inspection and recertification. She noted that they have been an Honor Gold Star Unit for over 10 years. Moment of Silence 5. Observe a Moment of Silence A moment of silence was observed. Adoption of Meeting Agenda 6. Adopt the Meeting Agenda for the September 13, 2018 School Board Meeting Vice Chair Anderson moved to adopt the meeting agenda for the September 13, 2018 School Board Meeting. Ms. Lorber seconded the motion. Vice Chair Anderson moved to amend the agenda to add the agenda item Student Matter 19-01 to New Business and to move the Opening of School Report from the Superintendent s Report to New Business. Mr. Lewis seconded the motion. The vote to amend the agenda was unanimous, 9-0. The motion carried. The vote to adopt the meeting agenda as amended was unanimous, 9-0. The motion carried. Communications & Addresses to the Board 7. Public Hearing on the FY 2020 Combined Funds and the FY 2020-2029 Capital Improvement (CIP) Budgets There were no Public Hearing speakers. 8. Public Comments Ms. Leslie-Anne Hinton, ACPS parent, spoke about students on Taney Avenue who no longer receive busing and do not have a safe path to Patrick Henry. Ms. Natasha Sanyude, ACPS parent, thanked the School Board for reinstating busing for William Ramsay students. Mr. Ricardo Roberts, ACPS parent, spoke about school safety. Ms. Marie Huddle, ACPS parent, spoke about the lack of busing in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood, which does not have a hazard-free path to Patrick Henry. Mr. Mark Huddle, ACPS parent, spoke about the lack of busing for Patrick Henry students and parent concerns about safety. Mr. Abul Hosen, ACPS parent, noted his concern for the quality of education in Alexandria. 2
Ms. Abosede Ogungbe, ACPS parent and alumna, spoke about the busing issues at William Ramsay and expressed that she was insulted by the changes made to the walking policy that affected the neediest families. 8. Report from Student Representatives Ewan Thompson and Bridget Williams Mr. Thompson reported on a smooth opening of school at T.C. Williams. He also expressed his intention to increase engagement across all schools in ACPS, that he would like to add a middle school student representative to the School Board and that he would like to visit all the schools across the division. He also noted that he and Ms. Williams are trying to increase their social media presence. Mr. Thompson also discussed getting new Chromebooks, the lack of parking for T.C. Williams students this year, and that the school s internet security software was going overboard by blocking needed websites, such as the College Board. Ms. Williams reported that she and Ewan are working on having more town hall meetings this year, especially with the International Academy, and was glad that T.C. Williams has reinstated Titan Time. She reported on the efforts of teacher Mr. Orzel and the PTA that allowed students to attend the musical, Hamilton, at the Kennedy Center, and noted that T.C. Williams had a larger number of seniors in the running for National Merit Scholarships than in the past. Lastly, Ms. Williams noted that most seniors and juniors received parking spots in the lottery. Old Business & Action Items 9. Performance Audit Staff Update: Payroll Process Mr. Michael Covington, Director of Accounting, gave an update on the Payroll Audit completed in November 2017. A previous update was presented to the School Board in May 2018. Nine of the 11 audit recommendations have been fully implemented on schedule. One recommendation, to streamline the payroll process, is ongoing. The last recommendation, to require all employees to enroll in direct deposit, will not be prioritized at this time. Staff will continue to work toward this goal. 10. Policy FF: Non-Sponsored Naming and Renaming of School Division Facilities Ms. Jennifer Abbruzzese, Clerk of the Board and Policy Liaison, presented a revision of Policy FF. This policy was initially reviewed at two work sessions and the June 21, 2018 Board Meeting, where the Board directed that any request to rename an existing school be accompanied by a petition of 100 Alexandria residents who support the request. This change and others discussed in the previously held work sessions have been incorporated into the updated version of the policy. Mr. Campbell moved to adopt Policy FF: Non-Sponsored Naming and Renaming of School Division Facilities. Ms. Lorber seconded the motion. The vote to adopt Policy FF was unanimous, 9-0. The motion carried. Consent Calendar 11. Personnel Actions for the Month of July 2018 12. Personnel Actions for the Month of August 2018 13. FY 2018 Monthly Financial Report Ending June 30, 2018 14. FY 2018 Monthly Financial Report Ending July 31, 2018 15. FY 2018 Q4 Budget Transfer Report 16. Delegation of Authority for Financial Functions 17. Appoint Designee of the Division Superintendent 18. FY 2020 Budget Process Resolution and Rules of Engagement 19. Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) Risk Assessment Report 20. Re-Appoint Erin Dahlin to the Budget Advisory Committee 21. Re-Appoint James Clark to the Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee 22. Appoint Gerald File to the Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee 3
23. Re-Appoint Wayne Sanders to the Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee 24. Re-Appoint James Worden to the Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee 25. Re-Appoint Melissa Reeves to the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee 26. Re-Appoint Janet Eissenstat to the Special Education Advisory Committee 27. Appoint Julie Egy to the Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee 28. Re-Appoint Kevin Nicholas Miller to the Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee 29. Re-Appoint Stacie Andersen to the Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee 30. Waiver of School Board Advisory Committee Chair Term Limit for Budget, Career and Technical Education and Special Education Advisory Committees Ms. Campbell moved to adopt the Consent Calendar. Ms. Graf seconded the motion. Mr. Campbell asked to pull the Personnel Actions for the Month of June 2018 item. Vice Chair Anderson asked to pull the FY 2020 Budget Calendar item from the Consent Calendar. The vote to adopt the amended Consent Calendar was unanimous, 9-0. The motion carried. Items Pulled from the Consent Calendar 33. Personnel Actions for the Month of June 2018 Mr. Campbell pulled the Personnel Actions for the Month of June 2018 as he had questions about the number of English Language Learner (ELL) staff resignations and leave requests. He asked that this item be moved to the September 27, 2018 School Board Meeting so more information could be provided. There were no objections. 34. FY 2020 Budget Calendar Vice Chair Anderson pulled the FY 2020 Budget Calendar from the Consent Calendar in order to make a date change recommended by staff. The Employee Compensation discussion, listed on the September 20, 2018 Budget Work Session, will be moved to the November 13, 2018 CIP Work Session #1, in order to allow updated information on this topic to be presented to the Board. Mr. Campbell moved to adopt the FY 2020 Budget Calendar with the move of the Employee Compensation report to the November 13, 2018 CIP Work Session #1. Ms. Campbell seconded the motion. The vote to adopt the FY 2020 Budget Calendar with this change was unanimous, 9-0, by a hand vote. The motion carried. New Business and Reports to the Board 35. FY 2020 Combined Funds and FY 2020-2029 CIP Budget Priorities Mr. Dominic Turner, Director of Budget and Financial Systems, presented the FY 2020 Combined Funds and FY 2020-2029 CIP Budget Priorities for review by the School Board. These priorities will be discussed at the September 20, 2018 Budget Work Session and will be submitted for adoption at the September 27, 2018 School Board Meeting. 36. CIP Reserve Account Balance Update Ms. Mignon Anthony, Chief Operating Officer, updated the School Board on the CIP Reserve account. The current balance is $753,129.32 and there are no recommended budget transfers at this time. 37. SOL Assessment Update and Next Steps Mr. Clinton Page, Chief Accountability Officer, presented a review of the preliminary 2017-2018 SOL, PALS and AP testing results, which showed that more schools are fully accredited this year, writing results showed improvement, and math results showed a decline across subgroups. Dr. 4
Terri Mozingo, Chief Academic Officer, reviewed next steps for improving performance and reversing subgroup performance decline. 38. Opening of School Report from Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. Superintendent Hutchings presented information about the start of the school year, how ACPS prepared staff and facilities for opening day, the challenges faced, and lessons learned. 39. Student Matter 19-01 Vice Chair Anderson moved that in Student Matter 19-01 involving the violation of the Student Code of Conduct, that the School Board affirm the decision of the Superintendent and authorize the School Board Chair to issue a letter to that effect. Ms. Lorber seconded the motion. The vote to affirm the decision of the Superintendent in Student Matter 19-01 was 8-0. The motion carried. Mr. Campbell voted against the motion. Chair s Report 40. Report from Ramee A. Gentry Chair Gentry welcomed everyone back to school, reported attending a few Back-to-School Nights, and welcomed parents and the community into ACPS schools. Announcements 41. Announcements Mr. Lewis reported on the first meeting of the School Health Advisory Board for the 2018-19 school year. He noted that JCHD-R: Regulations for the Administration of Medications to Students, is undergoing additional revision since the last Board Meeting, and to look for that in the future. Mr. Lewis also mentioned events and interest around the Future High School Project. Mr. Campbell reported on attending the Children, Youth and Family Collaborative Commission meeting with Ms. Campbell, and mentioned opportunities for ACPS to communicate and collaborate with the City on common areas of services. Closed Meeting and Certification of Closed Meeting 42. Closed Meeting and Certification of Closed Meeting Adjournment There was no closed meeting held. 43. Adjourn On a motion by Vice Chair Anderson and seconded by Mr. Lewis, the Board voted unanimously, 9-0, to adjourn. The meeting ended at 11:14 p.m. Ramee A. Gentry, Chair Clerk/Deputy Clerk These minutes were adopted at the September 27, 2018 School Board Meeting. 5